Support for shifting shuttle boxes



March 8, 1955 c KRUKQNIS 2,703,588

SUPPORT FOR SHIFTING SHUTTLE BOXES Filed Nov. 25, 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEYALEXANDER KRUKONIS United States Patent SUPPORT FOR SHIFTING SHUTTLEBOXES Alexander C. Krukonis, Auburn, Mass., assignor to Crompton &Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication November 25, 1953, Serial No. 394,240

8 Claims. (Cl. 139-182) This invention relates to improvements insupports for shifting shuttle boxes and it is the general object of theinvention to provide a simple form of support which enables the boxes,if in high position when the lay is in its forward position, towithstand without downward displacement the force exerted incident tobobbin transferring operations of the loom.

In certain types of weft replenishing looms, such as those which operatepick and pick wherein one shuttle after being active for one pick isfollowed by another shuttle which is also active for but one pick, theweft replenishing operation occurs in the upper box of a gang of shuttleboxes when the lay is in its forward position and the gang is in highposition relative to the lay. The downward force exerted by thetransferrer arm during weft replenishing operation has a tendency todepress the shuttle boxes so that the incoming bobbin may not becompletely seated in the shuttle in the upper shuttle box. It has beenproposed heretofore to provide a simple form of support for the boxes,but such support is in supporting position whenever the gang is up andthe lower shuttle box is empty and prevents downward motion of the boxesunder these conditions. In the weaving of certain pick and pick fabrics,such as sharkskin wherein only two shuttles are used, the conditionarises in which it is desirable to lower the gang of boxes while thelower shuttle box is empty, and under this condition the previouslymentioned support cannot be used.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a supportrockable on the lay below the shuttle boxes and connected to a laycarried spring which tends to move the support to box supportingposition, and to control the support by means of an operator such as arod pivoted at a point spaced from the lay axis and operating in suchmanner as to enable the spring to move the support to supportingposition if the gang of boxes is in high position, but having a lostmotion connection with the support which permits relative movement ofthe operator and the support in the event that the shuttle boxes are notin their high position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide the lay, andpreferably though not necessarily the lay end thereof, with a fixed studbelow the shuttle boxes surrounded by a spring of the torsion typehaving one end fixed with respect to the stud and having the other endconnected to the support and tending to move the latter to supportingposition.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide the aforesaidstud with a collar held thereto in angularly adjusted position to holdthe end of the spring which is fixed with respect to the lay or stud.The operator may be in the form of a rod and the lost motion connectionmay be provided by a slotted rod head on the rod receiving a pin or thelike on the support lever. Adjustment of the spring by adjustment of thecollar and adjustment of the rod head with respect to the rod affordample adjustment to insure proper operation of the support lever.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is madeto the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example theembodiments of the invention and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of part of a loom having the inventionapplied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section on line 2--2, Fig. 1, showing thegang of shifting shuttle boxes in high position and the support in boxsupporting position, the

lay being in the forward part of its motion or on front center position,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the pivot for the lowerend of the operator rod looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a vertical detail section on line 4-4, Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the upper end of theoperator rod and its rod head and connected parts taken on line 5-5,Fig. 2, and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are diagrammatic views showing different positions ofthe support with respect to the lay, Fig. 6 showing the lay on backcenter, Fig. 7 showing the lay on bottom center and moving forwardly,and Fig. 8 showing the lay on front center with the gang of shuttleboxes down. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the loom frame 1supports a rocker shaft 2 on which a lay 3 is mounted by means of layswords one of which is shown at 4 in Fig. 1. The lay is provided withthe lay end 5 having the rear vertical wall 6 and a lower horizontalshelf 7. The lay oscillates backwardly and forwardly during loomoperation in well-known manner by drive means not shown herein.

The lay is provided with a gang G of shifting shuttle boxes which in thepresent instance has upper and lower shuttle boxes 10 and 11. A gang issupported on a box lifter rod 12 the position of which is determined bya flexible connector 13 connected as at 14 to the lower end of rod 12.The connector 13 extends to the opposite side of the loom and iscontrolled by well-known mechanism, such for instance as the Knowleshead, and is pulled to the left to raise the gang and is slackened topermit the gang to descend. The gang can therefore occupy either high orlow positions with respect to the lay, so that either of the two shuttleboxes 10 or 11 can be in picking position aligned with the lay. As shownherein the upper end of rod 12 is connected to a bobbin chute 15 theupper part of which is fastened to the under side of the gang G inwell-known manner such as that shown for instance in patent to BrouwerNo. 2,300,200. The loom has a picker stick 16 which may be of usual formand can be operated as required for the picking of either of twoshuttles which enter and leave the shuttle boxes of the gang G.

In carrying the present invention into eifect, I secure a small stand 20to the horizontal shelf 7 by means of screws 21 and mount thereon a stud22 preferably parallel to the lay passing through right and leftbearings 23 and 24 as viewed in Fig. 4 and held in fixed position insaid bearings by set screw 25. Surrounding the stud 22 is a collar 26which is held in adjusted angular position on the stud by a set screw27. The collar receives end 28 of a torsion spring 29 surrounding thestud 22 and having the other end 30 thereof extending into the hub 31 ofa shuttle box supporting lever 32. Bearing 24 limits left hand motion ofthe hub 31 as viewed in Fig. 4. Lever 32 has an arm 35 which serves as asupport for the gang G as will be described and has also a second arm 36extending forwardly as shown in Fig. 2.

The operator for the lever 32, designated generally at 40, includes arod 41 the lower end of which is pivoted on a stud 42 held in fixedposition on a small stand 43 which is held by screws 44 to the loomframe as shown for instance in Fig. 1. A cotter pin 45 or a similardevice may be utilized to hold the lower end of the rod 41 on the pivot42. The upper end of rod 41 has adjustably attached thereto a rod head46 into which the upper threaded end 47 of the rod is screw threaded anda lock nut 48 holds the lengthwise adjustment of the rod head 46 withrespect to the rod 41. The rod head is provided with a lengthwise slot49 into which extends a stud 50 on the arm 36 of the lever 32. The studas shown in Fig. 5 has a head 51 of greater diameter than the width ofslot 49, a bearing part 52 to slide in the slot 49, and a reduced shank53 which passes through the arm 36 of the lever 32. Another cotter pin54 may be utilized to hold the stud in correct position with respect toarm 35, but this is not the only way in which the stud 50 can be held tothe arm 36. The pivot 42 is spaced forwardly from the rocker shaft 2 aswill be apparent for instance in Figs. 6-8.

An adjustable stop screw 60 may be provided in the lay end behind thearm 35 of the lever 32 to limit movement of the lever 32 in a clockwisedirection as viewed in Fig. 2, the stop screw 60 preferably holding theupright arm 35 and when engaging it holding it in a substantiallyvertical position. The upright rear corner of arm 35 may be rounded asshown at 61 in Fig. 2, and the lower left corner of the gang G may berounded as at 62 if desired, although these roundings are not essential,particularly that on the gang G.

In the operation of the loom the lay will move backwardly and forwardlyand the gang G when called upon to do so will shift vertically to assumeeither high or low position with respect to the lay by the mechanismalready described during a period starting when the lay is approximatelyat its bottom center position and ending when the lay is approximatelyat its top center position, so that the boxes will be shifting when thelay is on front center. The gang G will not necessarily shift on everybeat of the loom and may be held in high position for two successivebeats of the loom in the second of which a weft replenishing operationcan occur during which a reserve bobbin B is pushed down into a shuttleS in the top box by a transferrer arm T. The gang G can also be in lowposition for more than one beat of the loom.

If the gang has shifted upwardly and is in the position shown in Fig. 2as the lay moves forwardly the operator 40 will permit the spring 29 torock the lever 32 in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 to thesupporting position shown in that figure and if a weft replenishingoperation occurs as the lay reaches front center the upright arm willsupport the gang G against any downward force exerted by the transferrerarm T. If, on the other hand, the gang G should be shifting downwardlyas the lay moves forwardly then the arm 35, which will be in an inclinedposition, will be held against move ment to its supporting position bythe gang and the latter will overcome the force exerted by the spring 29and prevent the support from moving to supporting position. Under thiscondition the lost motion connection between operator and stud willpermit these parts to move relatively to each other as the lay advances.This same relation will exist if the boxes have previously been down andare shifting upwardly as the lay approaches front center, or if theboxes remain down.

When the lay approaches its back center position shown in Fig. 6 theoperator 40 and stud 50 will cooperate to rock the lever 32 to itsextreme left hand position in which the inclined arm 35 is in the pathof the gang G if the latter should descend. As the lay moves to itsbottom center position the lever 32 will be rocked by the spring 29 tosome such position as shown in Fig. 7 where arm 35 will still be inposition to be deflected forwardly by the boxes should the latter bedown as indicated in Fig. 8. Whenever the gang engages the arm 35 anddefleets it forwardly the stud 50 will move downwardly in the slot 49.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention provides a simpleform of support for a gang of shifting shuttle boxes wherein thebackward and forward motion of the lay together with the operator 40 andthe spring 29 are relied upon to move the support into supportingposition as shown in Fig. 2 provided the boxes are in high position. If,on the other hand, the boxes are in some position other than theirhighest position, as by moving either downwardly from or upwardly towardthat position as the lay moves forwardly, the gang will prevent movementof the support lever 32 to supporting position and overpower the spring29. The slot 49 and stud 50 act as a pin and slot connection between theoperator 40 and the lever 32 which permits the support to move to somesuch position as that shown in Fig. 8 as the lay moves forwardly in theevent the gang G is in a position below its high position. The spring 29is mounted on the lay and preferably though not necessarily by the stud32 and has one end fixed with respect to the lay and the other endconnected to the lever 32. Adjustment of the collar 26 around stud 22permits adjustment of the tightness of the spring 29 and therefore thepromptness with which it will act to move the support to supportingposition, and the rod head 46, being adjustable lengthwise on the rod41, permits adjustment to vary the rocking of the lever 32 withrespectto the lay as the latter swings backwardly and forwardly.

The support for the gang G and control therefor set forth herein is animprovement over the shuttle box support shown in my copendingapplication Serial No. 389,589, filed November 2, 1953, in which thebroader aspects of the support and its control are claimed.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of theinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what isclaimed is:

1. In a loom provided with a lay to move backwardly and forwardly in theloom, shuttle boxes shiftable vertically on the lay to high and lowpositions relative thereto, a support lever rockable about an axis fixedwith respect to the lay to and from supporting position with respect tothe shuttle boxes, a spring supported by the lay tending to move thelever to the supporting position thereof, and an operator for the leverhaving one end thereof supported independently of the lay and having atthe other end thereof a lost motion connection with said lever andeffective when the lay moves forwardly to enable said spring to move thelever into supporting relation with respect to the boxes, provided thelatter are in high position, the operator effective when the lay movesrearwardly to move the lever away from supporting position, the boxes ifin a position below their high position as the lay moves forwardlypreventing movement of the lever to supporting position and the lostmotion connection permitting relative motion of the lever and operator.

2. The loom set forth in claim 1 wherein said spring is of the torsiontype surrounding said axis and has one end fixed with respect to the layand has the other end thereof connected to said support lever.

3. In a loom provided with a lay to move backwardly and forwardly abouta rocker shaft, shuttle boxes shiftable vertically on the lay to highand low positions relative thereto, a stud fixed with respect to the layunder the shuttle boxes, a support lever for the boxes rockable on saidstud to and from supporting position with respect to the boxes, a springhaving one end thereof fixed with respect to the lay and having theother end thereof connected to the lever and tending to move the leverinto supporting position with respect to said boxes, a pivot spaced fromsaid rocker shaft, and an operator for the lever pivoted at one endthereof on said pivot and having a lost motion connection at the otherend thereof with said lever and effective when the lay moves forwardlyto enable said spring to move the lever into supporting relation withrespect to the boxes, provided the latter are in high position, theboxes if in a position below their high position as the lay movesforwardly preventing movement of the lever to supporting position andthe lost motion connection permitting relative motion of the lever andoperator, said operator effective when the lay moves backwardly to movethe lever away from the supporting position thereof against the actionof the spring.

4. The loom set forth in claim 3 wherein the spring surrounds and issupported by the stud and said one end of the spring is fixed withrespect to the stud.

5. The loom set forth in claim 4 wherein a collar on the stud is fixedin angularly adjusted position on the stud and holds said one end of thespring.

6. The loom set forth in claim 4 wherein a support is fixed to the laybelow the boxes and the stud is secured in fixed position on thesupport.

7. The loom set forth in claim 3 wherein the operation includes a rodand the lost motion connection includes a stud on the lever slidable ina slot in a rod head on the rod.

8. The loom set forth in claim 7 wherein the rod head is adjustablelengthwise on the rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,300,199 Brouwer Oct. 27, 1942 2,300,200 Brouwer Oct. 27, 19422,300,217 Grzesik Oct. 27, 1942 2,669,260 Foisy et a1. Feb. 16, 1954

